Health Care Crisis or Not

July 22, 2009 — If you have been following the news lately you know that there is some heavy duty discussion going on in the Congress and the administration concerning improving the availability of health care in this country. Some good, bad, and really ugly points are being made and considered. Here is what I think:

The Good

■ The creation of a national health care exchange where private companies and a government entity would compete for consumer's business.
■ A subsidy for financially strapped Americans, especially children and the elderly, eligible to buy insurance on the exchange.
■ Elimination of the pre-existing condition. This should be a must in any bill that is passed and made law.
■ Little or no effect on those that get health care coverage through their employer.
■ For those that buy their own coverage on their own, there is a possibility that their premiums would decrease. This is good as long as health care professionals are being paid a fair price for their services.

I'll combine the bad and the ugly.

The Bad and The Ugly

■ Mandating that most individuals be covered or pay a penalty. Now just wait a minute! You mean to tell me that if I do not buy health care coverage on this exchange (assuming I am not covered by an employer) that I will pay some sort of penalty. How utterly ridiculous and socialistic can you get!
■ A tax on the wealthy to help pay for what is going to be an enormous cost. Why in the world do we continue to single out a single segment of our society to pay for something like this. Should someone be penalized just because they may have worked hard and earned a lot of money? I say this is BS.
■ Pres Pajama...er I mean Obama wants something done and passed by the time Congress goes on another recess or vacation or whatever they call it in August. Now that is really smart. Lets take something as volatile as this issue is and rush right through it. Seems he is trying to see that a cure for all our ails are in place before he has spent less than ¾ of a year in office. Somebody needs to reign in this cowboy before he spends us into oblivion...regardless of his plea for us to make sacrifices. I agree with those in Congress that are cautioning and pleading for restraint and that includes some of Paj...er I mean Obama's Democrats.

Whatever the outcome is going to be it is up to us Americans to let our legislators know how we feel before there is an outcome. Whatever is coming I hope it will be fair to all or as fair as it can be. That means to me that it is affordable and truly reaches out to all Americans, that it is fair to the health care professionals that will be doing the caring, and that it does away with that damn pre-existing condition crap. To me it's what really matters!